News from Community Psychologyhttp://www.springer.com/psychology/community+psychology?SGWID=0-40433-0-0-0
The latest news from Community PsychologySun, 18 Feb 2018 05:17:17 GMT2018-02-18T05:17:17ZSpringer Community Psychologyhttp://images.springer.com/cda/content/designimage/cda_displaydesignimage.gif?SGWID=0-0-17-901483-0http://www.springer.com/psychology/community+psychology?SGWID=0-40433-0-0-0
Tackling test anxiety may help prevent more severe problemshttp://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1463945-0
Reducing test anxiety has fewer stigmas, leads to potential prevention benefits<br /><img align="right" src="https://images.springer.com/sgw/journals/medium/11121.jpg" /><div>Showing students how to cope with test anxiety might also help them to handle their built-up angst and fretfulness about other issues. The results of a new <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11121-014-0491-1">study</a> by Carl Weems of the University of New Orleans show that anxiety intervention programs that focus on academic matters fit well into the demands of the school routine, and do not carry the same stigma among youth as general anxiety programs do. The research group was among the first to study the effects of Hurricane Katrina on community mental health and anxiety among youths, and the paper appears in <a href="http://www.springer.com/public+health/journal/11121">Prevention Science</a>, the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research, published by Springer.<br /> <br />Weems says that anxiety problems are among the most common emotional difficulties youths experience, and are often linked to exposure to disasters. If not addressed these feelings could lead to academic difficulties, the increased risk of developing depressive or anxiety disorders, and substance use problems in adulthood. It is, however, an issue that often falls under the radar in school settings. Therefore Weems and his team turned their attention to teaching students how to handle test anxiety, as such nervousness is one way in which anxieties commonly manifest among school-aged youth.<br /> <br />The article highlights the results of initial tests among students from grades three to 12 in five public schools in the gulf south region of the United States. The research was conducted between three and six years after Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005. A group-administered, test-anxiety-reduction intervention was presented to 325 youths between the ages of eight- and 17-years-old who experienced elevated test anxiety. The intervention – through which the learners were taught behavioral strategies such as relaxation techniques – was conducted as part of each school’s counseling curriculum.<br /> <br />The wider age group who received the intervention found it to be useful, felt glad they had participated and effectively learned the intervention content. Overall, the program was associated with decreases in test anxiety, anxiety disorder and depression symptoms, and especially helped the older students to feel more in control. In turn, decreases in test anxiety were linked with changes in symptoms of depression and anxiety , such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The results suggest high participant satisfaction with the program.<br /><br />“Test anxiety interventions may be a practical strategy for conducting emotion-focused prevention and intervention efforts because of a natural fit within the ecology of the school setting,” believes Weems. He cautions that school-based test anxiety interventions should not be considered a first line approach to treating severe anxiety disorders such as PTSD, but could be employed preventatively to teach students how to handle anxious emotions and internalizing problems more generally.<br /> <br /><strong>Reference:</strong> <br />Weems, C. F. et al (2014). Fitting Anxious Emotion-Focused Intervention into the Ecology of Schools: Results from a Test Anxiety Program Evaluation. <em>Prevention Science</em>. DOI 10.1007/s11121-014-0491-1.</div><br /><h2>Contact</h2><a href="">Alexander K. Brown</a><br /><br />New YorkWed, 07 May 2014 22:00:00 GMThttp://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1463945-02014-05-07T22:00:00ZSchool shootings: what we know and what we can dohttp://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1399647-0
A new article explores what we have learned about these tragic incidents, and what can be done to prevent them<br /><img align="right" src="https://images.springer.com/sgw/journals/medium/11920.jpg" /><div>Since the early 1970s school shootings at American elementary, secondary and higher education institutions have been a painful reality for American society. After each incident – like the recent attack in Newtown, CT – there is voluminous dialogue about what can be done to prevent the next, such tragedy. But can anything realistically be done to prevent these horrific crimes? A new <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11920-012-0331-6">study¹</a> by Dr. Daniel J. Flannery at Case Western Reserve University, and colleagues, scheduled to appear in the January issue of Springer’s <a href="http://www.springer.com/medicine/psychiatry/journal/11920">Current Psychiatry Reports</a>, attempts to parse out what we have learned from past events, and what we can do about stopping the next attack.<br /><br />The article conducts a thorough examination of past studies on the topic, focusing primarily on “targeted” and “rampage,” or “spree,” shootings. Targeted shootings are those where there is a specific target, individual group or institution, and rampage or spree shootings are those that involve multiple victims, either known or unknown to the assailant. What the article finds is that, while there are some characteristics shared by past shooters – narcissism, depression, low self esteem and a fascination with violence – there are not enough similarities to develop any distinctive profile of a potential shooter. <br /><br />The authors conclude that the most effective way of trying to prevent these tragedies is through threat assessment, which requires fundamental testing of such traits as: suicide risk, homicide risk, thought processes, reality testing, mood and behavior as well as relevant social and developmental histories. Also helpful is to pay particular attention to any obsession with firearms or violence, and the presence of writings or drawings with violent themes. While this may seem obvious, unfortunately, the resources available to mental health workers in schools do not sufficiently provide for these assessments. The authors also conclude that mental health workers and adults must be socialized to take threats of interpersonal violence seriously, as they have been with threats of suicide.<br /><br />Finally, Flannery and colleagues urge for a renewed focus on treatment for the victims of such crimes. Usually most of the focus in the aftermath of such events lies in trying to come up with a reason why someone would perpetrate such a crime, or in other words, trying to make some sort of sense out of these tragedies. While this is understandable, considerable care must be given to ensure that the victims of these crimes receive the mental health treatment they require.<br /><br />“School shootings are not all the same and may require different approaches to prevention and treatment, especially with respect to identifying risk factors at the individual, school or community levels, and particularly with regard to examining the role that mental health issues may play to increase risk for perpetration,” the authors conclude. “Community mental health providers and professionals, particularly psychiatrists, are essential partners and must continue to seek avenues for working with schools to conduct thorough threat assessments, to identify young persons with significant mental health needs and to develop protocols for identification, prevention, and treatment that will effectively support the social and emotional needs of our most vulnerable youth and communities.” <br /><br />Reference<br /><br />1. Flannery D et al (2013). Violence and School Shootings. <em>Current Psychiatry Reports</em>; DOI 10.1007/s11920-012-0331-6.<br /><br /><strong>Interested journalists are invited to read the full text article as a preview to next month’s publication. Contact information for Dr. Flannery is also available on request.</strong><br /></div><br /><h2>Contact</h2><a href="">Alexander Brown</a><br /><br />New YorkTue, 18 Dec 2012 23:00:00 GMThttp://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1399647-02012-12-18T23:00:00ZCountering crowd control collapsehttp://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1381930-0
Understanding crowd dynamics can prevent disaster at cultural or sports events<br></br><br /><img align="right" src="https://images.springer.com/cda/content/image/cda_displayimage.jpg?SGWID=0-0-16-1548725-0" /><div>Physicists investigating a recent crowd disaster in Germany found that one of the key causes was that at some point the crowd dynamics turned turbulent, akin to behaviour found in unstable fluid flows. The study, led by Dirk Helbing from the Risk Center at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH Zurich, Switzerland, is published in <em>EPJ Data Science¹</em>.<br /><br />Never before have crowd disasters been studied by relying on a qualitative analysis of large public data sets. These include media and public authority reports, YouTube videos, Google Earth maps, 360˚ photographs, and other Internet sources. Based on this approach, the authors shed some new light on the crowd disaster that occurred at the Love Parade in Duisburg, Germany, in July 2010, leaving 21 dead and over 500 injuried. <br /><br />The study focuses on the dynamics occurring when the density of people becomes very high. Physical interactions then inadvertently transfer forces from one body to another, similar to the pressure in dense granular materials. Under such conditions, Helbing and his colleague found that forces in the crowd add up and vary greatly. This makes it hard to avoid a domino effect when people fall. The forces are so high they can become life-threatening. They cannot be controlled by external police efforts. A collective dynamic called ‘crowd turbulence’ is created.<br /><br />Contrary to previous thinking, crowd disasters are not always due to crowds becoming uncontrollable because individuals panic. Instead, the authors conclude that amplifying feedback and cascading effects lead to instability in the crowd. This results in a failure of crowd management and control attempts.<br /><br />The authors also introduce a new scale to assess the criticality of conditions in the crowd designed to help implement preventative measures before the crowd reaches a critical state.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Reference:</strong><br />1. D.Helbing, P.Mukerji (2012). Crowd Disasters as Systemic Failures: Analysis of the Love Parade Disaster. <em>EPJ Data Science</em> 2012, 1:7; doi:10.1140/epjds7<br /><br /><strong>The full-text article is available for journalists on request.</strong><br /><br /><strong>Contact:</strong><br />Janine Haubenreisser, Springer, tel +49-6221-487-8414, janine.haubenreisser@springer.com<br /><br /><br />Caption: “The crowd has a dynamic of its own”<br />Creator: Angel Herrero de Frutos<br />Source: iSockphotos<br />Photo number: 138179229<br /></div><br /><h2>Further information</h2><a href="http://www.springer.com/computer/information+systems+and+applications/journal/13688">EPJ Data Science</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.epj.org">Visit the homepage of the European Physical Journal</a><br /><a href="http://www.epjdatascience.com/content/1/1/7/abstract">Article on EPJ Data Science</a><br /><br /><h2>Additional information is available at </h2><a href="http://www.soms.ethz.ch">ETH Zürich</a><br /><a href="http://loveparadevideos.heroku.com">Videos of the Loveparade</a><br /><a href="http://blogs.ethz.ch/crowd/">Questions and Answers page regarding the Love Parade Crowd Disaster in Duisburg</a><br /><br />New York / HeidelbergMon, 25 Jun 2012 22:00:00 GMThttp://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1381930-02012-06-25T22:00:00ZParents misled by advocates of single-sex educationhttp://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1220521-0
Review highlights flawed logic of segregating boys and girls for education purposes, based on alleged brain differences <br /><img align="right" src="https://images.springer.com/cda/content/image/cda_displayimage.jpg?SGWID=0-0-16-684316-0" /><div>There is no scientific basis for teaching boys and girls differently and separately, according to Lise Eliot from The Chicago Medical School at the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in the US. Her comprehensive review reveals fundamental flaws in the arguments put forward by proponents of single-sex schools to justify why boys and girls need to be taught in separate classrooms. Such proponents argue that profound differences between the 'male brain' and the 'female brain' mean that boys and girls learn differently, but Eliot shows that neuroscience has identified very few reliable differences between boys' and girls' brains relevant to learning or education. Her work is published online in Springer's journal Sex Roles.<br /><br />The first issue Eliot highlights is that single-sex school advocates often claim differences between boys' and girls' brains based on studies carried out in adult men and women. But such effects have rarely been found in children. It is also wrong to assume that children's brains operate like adults'. In reality, they are works-in-progress, and much of what influences adult neural processing is due to individuals' social and educational experience over their lifespan. Therefore the assumption that because gender differences in the brain are biological, they are necessarily fixed or 'hardwired' is incorrect.<br /><br />Eliot then reviews seven specific claims often used to justify the need for sex-segregated learning: gender differences in the corpus collosum* and language lateralization**; differences in brain maturation rate and sequence between boys and girls; gender differences in hearing, in vision and in the autonomic nervous system; sex hormones and learning; and finally preferred learning styles of boys and girls. For each one, she shows how the science has been misrepresented and its findings exaggerated to build a rationale for sex-segregated education, which misleads parents into believing there is a scientific basis for teaching boys and girls in separate classrooms.<br /><br />Although there is no doubt that boys and girls have different interests which shape how they respond to different academic subjects, neuroscientists have had great difficulty identifying meaningful differences between boys' and girls' neural processing - even for learning to read, which has been the most studied to date. And although research shows that men and women - not boys and girls - tend towards different self-professed learning styles, there is no evidence that teaching specifically geared to such differences is actually beneficial.<br /><br />Eliot concludes: "Beyond the issue of scientific misrepresentation, the very logic of segregating children based on inherent anatomical or physiological traits runs counter to the purpose and principles of education. Instead of separating children in the name of 'hardwired' abilities and learning styles, schools should be doing the opposite: instilling in children the faith in their own malleability and promoting their self-efficacy as learners, regardless of gender, race, or other demographic characteristics."<br /><br />* The arched bridge of white matter that connects the two cerebral hemispheres, allowing communication between the right and left sides of the brain.<br />**The idea that verbal functions are carried out mostly by the left side of the brain.<br /><br />Reference<br />Eliot L (2011). Single-sex education and the brain. Sex Roles. DOI 10.1007/s11199-011-0037-y<br /><br />The full-text article is available to journalists on request.<br /></div><br /><h2>More information on sex roles:</h2><a href="http://www.springer.com/psychology/journal/11199">Sex Roles</a><br /><br /><h2>Contact:</h2><a href="http://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/contact?SGWID=0-40582-19-69370-0">Renate Bayaz</a><br /><br />New York / HeidelbergWed, 17 Aug 2011 22:00:00 GMThttp://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1220521-02011-08-17T22:00:00ZA Special Issue of the Journal of Family Violencehttp://www.springer.com/psychology/community+psychology?SGWID=0-40433-6-1569548-0
<h3>Guest Editors:</h3><div><strong>Rachel E. Foster</strong>, Ph.D., Lt Col, USAF, BSC<br />*Chief, OSD Family Advocacy Program Research<br />Office of Military Family Readiness Policy<br /><br /><strong>Fred P. Stone</strong>, Ph.D. (Col, US Air Force Retired)<br />Clinical Associate Professor<br />University of Southern California School of Social Work<br /><br /><strong>Cynthia J. Thomsen</strong>, Ph.D.<br />Department Head, Health and Behavioral Sciences<br />Naval Health Research Center<br /><br /><strong>René J. Robichaux</strong>, Ph.D. (Col, US Army Retired)<br />Consultant, Clearinghouse for Military Family Readiness<br />Penn State University<br /></div><br /><h3>Estimated Publication Date: January 2019</h3><div>The primary aim of this special issue is to explore the phenomenon of intimate partner violence within the military, with specific emphasis on sexual assault within partnered relationships. Topics of interest include unique risks associated with sexual intimate partner violence (e.g., other co-occurring forms of violence, effects on children), current military approaches to working with this population, and future approaches to improve prevention of and response to sexual intimate partner violence and other types of violence co-occurring in these relationships. This special issue will also consider how risks for and response to sexual intimate partner violence vary across military subpopulations such as single versus married personnel or among members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) community.<br /></div><br /><h3>Important Deadlines:</h3><div>Abstract submission: November 9th 2017<br />Abstract selection: December 15th 2017<br />Manuscript submission: June 15th 2018<br /></div><br /><a href="http://static.springer.com/sgw/documents/1616085/application/pdf/Final+Call+for+Papers+JOFV+special+issue.pdf">Download full call for papers including submission details</a><br /><br /><h2>European Research on Children, Adolescents and Domestic Violence: Impact, Interventions and Innovations</h2><h3>A special issue for Journal of Family Violence</h3><h3>Co-editors:</h3><div><strong>Carolina Överlien</strong><br /><br /><strong>Stephanie Holt</strong><br /><br /><strong>Maria José Magalhães</strong></div><br /><h3>Estimated Publication Date: September 2017</h3><div>The second European Conference on Domestic Violence was held in Porto, Portugal in September 2017. Nearly 500 European researchers, service providers, and policy makers were gathered to share and discuss new and emerging understandings, interventions, and strategies for prevention with the aim of further strengthening the evidence base and provide better help for the many individuals and families affected by domestic violence globally.<br />Following the success of the conference, a special edition of the Journal of Family Violence is scheduled for early in 2019, focusing on European research on children, adolescents and domestic violence. The guest editors of this special issue will be Carolina Överlien, Associate Professor of Social Work, Stockholm University, Sweden, and researcher at the Norwegian center of violence and traumatic stress studies (NKVTS), Oslo, Norway, Stephanie Holt, Associate Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland and Maria José Magalhães, full professor in the Faculty of Psychology and Sciences of Education and full researcher in Interdisciplinary Centre for Gender Studies, University of Porto, Portugal.<br /><br />The special issue will have a particular focus on children and adolescents and will explore the following themes:<br />• The dynamics and/or epistemology of domestic violence from the perspective of children and adolescents<br />• Primary domestic violence prevention for children and adolescent in schools and communities<br />• The relevance of intersectionality in the lives of violence exposed children and<br />adolescents<br />• Approaches to including children and adolescents when researching and<br />understanding domestic violence<br />• Effective interventions and treatment for children and adolescents exposed to<br />domestic violence<br />Papers submitted for this special issue should report on research undertaken in or about<br />European countries. There is no requirement regarding the nationality of the researchers,<br />and papers do not necessarily need to have been presented at the European Conference on<br />Domestic Violence 2017. The editors invite scholars working across the social sciences and<br />related fields including social policy, sociology, politics, criminology, law, social psychology,<br />development and economics, as well as disciplines allied to medicine, health and wellbeing.<br /><br />The Journal of Family Violence (JOFV) is a peer-reviewed publication committed to the<br />dissemination of rigorous research on preventing, ending, and ameliorating all forms of<br />family violence. JOFV welcomes scholarly articles related to the broad categories of child<br />abuse and maltreatment, domestic and partner violence, and elder abuse. Within these<br />categories, JOFV emphasizes research on physical violence, psychological violence, sexual<br />violence, and homicides that occur in families. Studies on families in all their various forms<br />and diversities are welcome.<br />JOFV publishes studies using quantitative, qualitative, and/or mixed methods involving the<br />collection of primary data. Rigorous systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and theoretical<br />analyses are also welcome. To help advance scientific understandings of family violence,<br />JOFV is especially interested in research using transdisciplinary perspectives and innovative<br />research methods. Because family violence is a global problem requiring solutions from<br />diverse disciplinary perspectives, JOFV strongly encourages submissions from scholars<br />worldwide from all disciplines and backgrounds.</div><br /><h3>Submission Guidelines &amp; Steps</h3><div>Authors interested in publishing in the special issue should submit an abstract of no more<br />than 300 words by Dec. 18th 2017. Please submit abstracts to specialissuejofv@nkvts.no.<br />Following editorial review of the abstracts, the final draft of the selected papers will be due<br />March 12th 2018. Authors considering submitting a paper are asked to read the instructions<br />for authors at http://www.springer.com/medicine/journal/10896?detailsPage=pltci_2498017.<br />Any queries can be addressed to Carolina Överlien at Carolina.overlien@nkvts.no, Stephanie<br />Holt at SHOLT@tcd.ie or Maria José Magalhães at mjm@fpce.up.pt. All papers will be<br />subject to the usual peer review processes of the journal.</div><br /><a href="http://static.springer.com/sgw/documents/1621503/application/pdf/JOFV+Special+Issue+Call+on+European+Research+9-2017+%282%29.pdf">Download full call for papers including submission details</a><br /><br />http://www.springer.com/psychology/community+psychology?SGWID=0-40433-6-1569548-0